Fly American.
Submitted by Hogfan on December 1, 2006 - 3:37pm.
Homeland Security | Civil Liberties | National Security
SPOT OPENS WITH WIDE-ANGLE SHOT OF ACTOR ON STOOL. CASUALLY DRESSED. FRIENDLY TONE.
ACTOR: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 1,000. Can you guess what it is?
Give up?
It’s 793. And it’s my Terrorism Risk Score...
Is it just me, or does this cockamamie program sound like the government’s version of a credit score?
How perfectly appropriate that the Department of Homeland Security has oversimplified our national security into test scores while simultaneously closing the government/corporate circle of fascism by modeling its security after a system created by predatory lenders?
And how perfectly appropriate that this administration has decided that I can’t see my score to find out what kind of threat I pose? How am I supposed to know how dangerous I am if I can’t see my numerical threat value?
Seriously, what have we become when corporations, already granted enormous privileges for secrecy, are more transparent than our own government? Do we now have a government of those people? By those people? For those people? And kept secret from “we the people?”
”The Homeland Security Department called the program ‘one of the most advanced targeting systems in the world’ and said the nation’s ability to spot criminals and other security threats ‘would be critically impaired without access to this data.’”
Wow, that’s powerful stuff. Maybe I was wrong to jump to conclusions. I mean, if this program is so necessary, these scores must be based on proven, really advanced socio-ethnic and psychographic formulas.
Right?
”The scores are based on ATS’ analysis of their travel records and other data, including items such as where they are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor vehicle records, past one-way travel, seating preference and what kind of meal they ordered.”
Ugh.
So, according to the administration's own rationale, the very existence of our nation’s future hangs in the balance, and this is how they’ve chosen to protect it?
With questions like:
What kind of entrée does a highjacker order?
or
Does couscous qualify as material support for a terrorist organization?
Well, at the risk of compromising national security by tipping our hand to the terrorists, I think I’ll save myself some time at the airport. I suggest you do the same…
Call ahead and request the Kosher plate. That should boost your score.
Oy veh.
it may have been my past history of indulgence in Merghez sausages with my cous-cous that pegged me as a high risk traveller recently. I had about 6 legs on a midwestern journey, and on 5 of them I was treated to the distinction of being "specially selected"!! And let me tell you it felt special too!
Specially selected for additional security check. It was special each time. One TSA searcher even gave me a neck rub. (A gruff, large woman in sensible shoes-- I was only joking when I asked but I learned the TSA has an odd sense of humor)
Oh and 97% of all known terrorists order the chicken instead of the fish. It's a fact. United has renamed it "Chicken Terror-aki"
Speaking of airlines, I just read this news story where Bush wants our Airlines to be owned (up to 49%) by foreign investors.
I have HAD IT with Bush. He's doing so many illegal acts that it just sickens me. I'm a Republican, I would've voted for him in 2000 and 2004 (had I been old enough to vote), but I didn't know he was this terrible. Now I don't know the man so I can't judge his character, but your actions judge you faster than a Southern Baptist, and Bush's actions either show that either
1) He knows something we don't or
2) He's really that stupid and terrible at running his office
And I'm betting on the latter.
so I hope my score is 100% terrorist because it won't affect me one bit.
Actually next Spring I may have to use an airplane to go watch my brother graduate from the Marine academy, so it'll be interesting to see if I'm one of the lucky few who gets called out for 'extra testing'
Just a little righteous anger.
If one were to take this poll: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15984010/
Might one's answer (depending yes or no) automatically effect one's risk-assessment score? yathink?
watch and listen...
Hi maddy,
We're both old enough to remember the Church Hearings on COMINTELPRO in the late 70s. Nobody was worried about FBI surveillance ... until they discovered that the surveillance had almost nothing to do with criminal activity and almost everything to do with political associations.
Once enough people recognize that they too have a "Terrorist Assessment Score," and thus that Homeland Security evaluates them as potential terrorists ... they'll start to care. And that's why DHS wants to keep it a secret....
Crissie
at dissecting this on his program tonight. Should be rather interesting to hear his "take" on it.
"The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments"
There are certain to be characteristics that are, for whatever reasons, associated with terrorists. There are also likely to be some of those characteristics that will not be noticed by an unaided human brain, but that would only show up in statistical analysis. But there are also likely, almost certainly, to be innocent persons who happen to have travel histories that fit those characteristics by coincidence. They should have the opportunity to fix their files through Freedom of Information Act or other actions. We don't need to keep tabs on the innocent.
But we do need to find out who is likely to be guilty.
to future employers, banks, mortgage companies, etc. In fact to anyone they damn well please which is a major invasion of our privacy.
from CNN:
"Under specific circumstances, some or all data in the system can be shared with state, local and foreign governments and even some private contractors."
They can share them with foreign governments, but they can't share them with the persons they are about.
announcing today that if you fly through Phoenix you will now have to be subject to being viewed NUDE by security!
She is calling for all over 50, overweight people to show up NUDE in Phoenix to scare the security teams out of this program.
She is livid.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_re_us/airport_x_ray_screening
LINK ^
A "handful" of other US airports will be using the X RAY screening machines....but it seems as if we are not allowed to know which ones they are.
They took away my shoes
They took away my toothpaste
My eyecream
My lipgloss (oh that one hurt)
My purse contents
My deodorant
and now they will be taking away our clothes
Randi says that all those people who have been snorting all along "I don't care- I've got nothing to hide" will now feel differently. Well, she said it more crudely than that and made reference to men who buy sports cars to ... compensate.
this afternoon. According to Randy, they're also going to put children through
this machine. As if we don't have enough perverts in populous - we're now going to pay them.
of what the security people "see" when you are subjected to one of their X-Ray screening machines. Let's say it is a rather flagrant abuse of an indivudual's physical privacy.
to catch him first time around but will look for the 9 PM viewing!
Lately I've been thinking that when it comes to TV... he really does comprise the entire Liberal Media. The one they say is so prevalent and creating such bias. He's IT.
A few others may occasionally HINT that they have opinions or stories that contradict the Colander in Chief, then quickly balance it by interviewing a few more AEI fellows on the issue, but Keith is unabashedly, consistently Liberal.
Keith Olberman= The Liberal Media.
If they X-ray me.
Okay, I was against impeachment because that doesn't seem like a sound way to run a government, and we can't have an impeachment of every sitting president as a precedent, and a whole lot of other good ideas.
But this is beyond enough. And if they try to put my 14 yr. old through that x-ray machine, I'm going to kill someone. She's already beeen molested, for real, and I'll be damned if I allow this peeping Tom-ism.
Light the torches, gang. It's time for a march.
Run, Wes, Run! (Please?)
Google our Czar of Privacy who signed off on this act-- Hugo Tuefler the III (not to be confused with Hugo the II) appointed by jerkoff, er.. Chertoff... when the previous woman resigned after she felt her concerns about unconstitutional invasions of privacy by the gov't were not being heeded.
Hugo III has a background as an attorney, nothing in his resume on privacy whatsoever. NADA. He is a proud member of the Federalist society however, and friend of fellow Coloradan Gale Norton. He shares the Fed Society membership with other notables like: Alito, Ashcroft, Olsen, Scalia, Bork, Kenny Boy Starr, Kenny Boy Blackwell, Bolton, Coors, David Frum, Ann Coultergeist, and Willy Kristol PNAC-Daddy-Diddy. Wouldn't you love to party with the Federalists?
Another thing Hugo is noted for. He's a huge gun fan and of course NRA member and proponent of firearms and the wide interpretation of the 2nd amendment. He's an amendment cherry picker alright.
I found a deleted site (doncha love "Cache"?) where he has actually invented a device for snipers to have more accurate aim when shooting at subjects downhill of the sniper. It's called a Snoper Doper or something like that. He seems to be quite the ballistics expert and is keen on accurate shooting to kill. Nice to have this kind of chap at the top of the heap guarding the public's privacy in the good ole Dept of HEIMATLAND SECURITY.
Ahhhh the joy of Google!
Wear an orange jumpsuit with "POLITICAL PRISONER IN TRAINING" stenciled on the back. For the men, a tinfoil lined jock strap. For the ladies, tin foil lined bras and thongs. For shoes wear hospital slippers. Nothing else.
What could they do??
"Am I getting smarter or is the propaganda getting dumber?"
- Paul (not me), Vietnam veteran
When I left the site Friday afternoon, I had just one.
Lo and behold, a treasure trove of brilliant observations, witicisms and elaborations. Thanks, everybody, for reading - and commenting.
I enjoyed them all.
Patriotic? Provocative? Pissed off? Get your protest on at http://www.cafepress.com/fightinwords
I pretty much had the same thoughts when I heard about this today. Ya' gotta wonder who comes up with this stuff. And these people are getting paid for these cockamaimie ideas, too!
It boggles the mind.